Mark your calendars! This is a show you do not want to miss!
Jazz ‘ukulele pioneer Bill "Tappy" Tapia celebrates his 100th birthday and nine decades in music with various friends and entertainers. A performer since World War One, Bill has embarked on perhaps the unlikeliest comeback ever over the past few years. His first two CDs have scored top 10 on the CMJ jazz charts and he continues to do sellout shows all over the West Coast and Hawai'i. Billboard magazine exclaimed: "As delightful as it is surprising...Tapia's 86-year career includes jams with long-gone pioneers of American music, including Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Fats Waller. ...Tapia takes his rightful place alongside these greats."

Bill will be in Hawaii to celebrate the holidays and his actual birthday (Jan 1)! I beleive he has a number of birthday plans up his sleeve over a span of 3 months and we are starting things off with the Mainland celebration! Hope you can make it!
_________________Visit - http://www.panioloproductions.com/

Uncle Pat emailed me that link today! Great slideshow presentation. Just listening to Uncle Bill's narration is awesome...what a life attitude! His philosophy is golden.

Shameless plug but the Smoking Menehunes opened that gig. It was at the vintage Warner Grand theater in San Pedro. Before the show bong and I went "exploring" among the hidden passageways in the theater. It's an old art deco style place, very opulent. 1000 people could fit in there. There are excellent wall hangings.
I helped carry the equiptment in for Krysten Korb, the bassist who played with Bill that night. Besides being an awesome upright bass player, she can sing with a beautiful voice. Good looking, talented and with no typical pro musician attitude. She did not know me from adam yet talked to me like we were peers.
If I am not mistaken, they had the vibe player from Waitiki there that night, playing with Bill. King Kukulele was the MC, and as I said, the Smoking Menehunes warmed the crowd up. It was a great night!!